Netflix ‘House of Cards’ Will End With Sixth and Final Season

In what’s either the best or worst timing possible, Netflix’s House of Cards is about to crumble. The Kevin Spacey-Robin Wright political drama is confirmed to return for a sixth and final season, bringing the Underwoods’ reign to a close.

Netflix confirms that House of Cards will end its run next year with Season 6, having already entered production some weeks ago. The series had not yet publicly confirmed a renewal, though production was temporarily shut down in Maryland in recent weeks over an active shooter situation in the area.

The announcement is of questionable timing for star Kevin Spacey, as actor Anthony Rapp had only hours earlier accused him of sexual advances at a time Rapp was a minor. Spacey used his response to the incident to publicly identify as gay for the first time, though poor timing and correlation of the two announcements has drawn significant criticism. Many had even advocated for House of Cards to fire Spacey, and/or shut down altogether, though TVLine has sources claiming the decision is unrelated.

Shworunners Melissa James Gibson and Frank Pugliese are expected to return for the sixth and final season, having stepped in for series creator Beau Willimon in Season 5. House of Cards is notable as Netflix’s most prominent (if not first) original series, and now marks their first high-profile success to end primarily on its own terms.